Rain
by Hawkeye116
Summary: The war has ended. The Avatar has died, nature weeps at its Spirit's breaking, and rain falls endlessly. And despite that all, it's not the end, but rather the beginning. Complete! Prequel to Broken Spirit. Drabble Series. ZxK, SxS, SxTL
1. Mourning

A/N: So. I have finally started my own drabble series. 'Cause they're so popular and everything. xD

Basically, the plot is based off the ideas and theories addressed in my one-shot Broken Spirit. Add a dash of Zutara, some inspiration from Rashaka's The Night Has Come To Hold Us Young, and the ceaseless rainfall that won't end until Thursday, and mix it all up to get something like this.

The drabbles will be released in sets of three: the first drabble, part one, is centric around the regular world; the second drabble of the set, part two, will center around Sokka and/or Katara; and the third drabble of the set, part three, will be Zuko-centric. So. Yeah. Um. Word.

BTW, I don't own Avatar.

* * *

Set One: Resound

Part One: Mourning

* * *

The gong rings loud and clear, and all present are silent, listening to the reverberations. Once, it sounds; twice, it sounds; thrice, it sounds. One loud, echoing noise for each of the three seasons leading up to the end of the war. One loud, echoing sound for each of the remaining Nations. One loud, echoing vibration for each of the deceased's last words: _"The Spirit's broken."_

"Avatar Aang," says the solemn Fire Sage, "Foster son of Monk Gyatso, now passed; foster son of Chief Hakoda, now passed; foster brother of Sokka, Chief of the Southern Tribe; foster brother of Katara of the Southern Tribe; beloved of Toph the Blind, now passed.

"You ended a war, and with it, a Nation. We mourn not only your loss, but the loss of the Air Nation as well. We mourn the loss of the Avatar Spirit: you were the first, you were the last."

The gong resounds once more, and the body of the Avatar burns, but the light the fire gives off is magnificent.


	2. Music

A/N: The second part of set one.

* * *

Set One: Resound

Part Two: Music

* * *

The gong resounds throughout the area, the Nation, the world. It is a mark of respect heard by all, whether they are one or one thousand miles away.

One Waterbender woman hears the gong, and she recalls that, in her Tribe, gongs are very rare. They are only used during special holidays or festivals; gongs are considered a great instrument that produces some the strangest, most beautiful music ever heard.

The gong that sounds now, however, is no music to her ears.


	3. Coronation

A/N: The last part of the first set.

* * *

Set One: Resound

Part Three: Coronation

* * *

"It was Avatar Aang's wish that you succeed Fire Lord Ozai," says the Fire Sage to the Prince and the solemn crowd. Zuko kneels emotionlessly. This is not how he pictured his coronation—he'd hardly thought he would be Fire Lord at all. The Fire Sage places the fire crown on his head.

"Hail, Fire Lord Zuko," the Fire Sage says in the same monotone as always. A gong rings out, and the crowd behind him falls to their knees.

Zuko rises, but the fresh taste of regaining his birthright is not as sweet as he imagined.


	4. Nature

A/N: Right, so although this got no reviews, it's got over a hundred hits, so I know some people are reading it. Therefore, an update is called for. May I present to you: Set Two, Sunset.

* * *

Set Two: Sunset

Part One: Nature

* * *

After a great while, the crowd leaves the Fire Palace for home. The clouds above hang oppressively in the sky, as they have since the start of the Final Battle.

Now that the people have finished their mourning, nature starts its own: the clouds give way to heavy downpours that strike the earth with mad fury and overbearing sorrow. The joyous sun and the merciful moon are nowhere to be seen as nature mourns the loss of its spirit.


	5. Siblings

A/N: Part Two.

* * *

Set Two: Sunset

Part Two: Siblings

* * *

The two siblings stand next to each other and stare gloomily out the windows as water streaks the glass panes. Sokka keeps a warm, comforting arm around Katara as she stares emotionlessly into the outside world.

"Maybe it'll be sunny tomorrow," Sokka suggests.

But when Katara wakes the next morning, it is still raining.


	6. Monarch

A/N: Part Three.

* * *

Set Two: Sunset

Part Three: Monarch

* * *

Zuko is miserable as he strips himself of his formal attire and changes quickly into his nightclothes. Everything is so quiet, so solemn, so melancholy.

He stares out a great window and longs for the fiery, vibrant colors of the sunset. All he sees is the dull gray of storm clouds.

He spends his first night as Fire Lord alone.


	7. Emotion

A/N: Yay, some reviews this time. Thanks guys! Here's set three, Tranquility.

* * *

Set Three: Tranquility

Part One: Emotion

* * *

The sorrow and the shock and the simmering anger has died down; people grow weary, souls grow hollow. There is nothing left inside; the people have run out of tears for the deceased. There is no bitterness, no anger, no grief, no sorrow, no hope, no joy. Everything that was to be gained by ending the war (when the sons and brothers and husbands would return home safely, when there would be world peace, when people could be _happy_ again) has not been gained. Emotion is but a fleeting dream in the aftermath of war. 

Yet still the people clean and rebuild the Fire capital, and some cling to a desperate hope that all will return to normalcy.

The rain falls on and on without stop.


	8. Tears

* * *

Set Three: Tranquility

Part Two: Tears

* * *

They move through the day automatically. Katara sporadically bursts into tears, and Sokka does the best he can to console her before he joins her in her grief. Palace servants and other guests always give them odd looks and comment upon the strange Southern Chief and Southern Ambassador. Sokka hears them, but he doesn't care. He cries anyway. 

Their tears fall heavily, but Sokka thinks that they will soon come to an end as time progresses.

But, like the rain, the tears appear to be endless.


	9. Alone

Set Three: Tranquility

Part Three: Alone

* * *

Zuko is highly regarded and very well attended to. His wishes are always granted. He is well received and well admired by ceaseless amounts of people. They only respect him because of his high position; they want to have good connections, feel like they have some power. The phonies and the fakes irritate Zuko, but he puts up with them to set a good example for his people. 

His people are good people; they care about him. They hail him in the streets and come to the Palace to rave about his grandeur.

Perhaps they do it to prevent him from becoming another Fire Lord Ozai. Or perhaps their exuberant approval is genuine.

Whatever the case, they come day by day. There are thousands of them.

No matter how many people he meets, though, he always feels lonely.


	10. Speculation

A/N: Sorry I've taken so long to update, haven't been feeling well. Thanks for the reviews, to those of you who did review.

* * *

Set Four: Spirit

Part One: Speculation

* * *

People are speculating and gossiping; rumors fly around, each as intriguing as the next. But one theory in particular sounds especially plausible. Many believe it to be true.

As the story goes, because the last Air Nomad has died in the Avatar State, the Avatar Cycle has broken. The Spirit is dead, lost, or—most frightful of all—split in two. Another added-on detail of the far-fetched tale states that the torrential rain is really the wrath of the Water Avatar that was supposed to be next in the Cycle.

All rumors are as ridiculous as the next, but one really must wonder at the never-ending rain as it inundates the earth.


	11. Hope

A/N: Sorry if this seems abit too much like part two of the last set. It is different, though. Ah, the reminiscence.

* * *

Set Four: Spirit

Part Two: Hope

* * *

Sokka remembers that his sister always was a big believer of the supernatural. She always fantasized about the return of the Avatar; she always had hope that the Avatar would come save the world. When Aang was still alive, she believed he could save the world. Katara traveled with him in hopes of becoming a Master, of getting out into the world, of understanding other cultures.

She got much more than she asked for.

The Water Tribesman remembers, and is saddened by the memories. Katara no longer has hope.


	12. Drown

Set Four: Spirit

Part Three: Drown

* * *

Zuko is more depressed than ever as he goes through the day, carrying out his duties without any real devotion or commitment. He feels hated, neglected, and alone. There is no one in the Palace who does not give him an odd look here or there; there is no one in the city who is not in the least suspicious of him. Zuko isn't trusted. He knows this, and it upsets him.

The rain pours on and on; it only adds to his bad mood. He grows more sullen, more withdrawn, rarely speaking except if it is absolutely necessary. At dusk, he tells his servants to leave his bedroom so he can sleep.

Still mournful, he attempts to drown his troubles away; his sleep is restless and fitful.


	13. Rebuild

A/N: So, here it is! The next set of drabbles. Beware to the unsuspecting shipper, for Zutara hints abound in this set. :D

Also, the narrator from Broken Spirit will soon be introduced. Haven't decided on a name for her yet, though...

* * *

Set Five: Passion

Part One: Rebuild

* * *

The efforts of rebuilding continue, despite the hard rains. Parts of the city wall are standing once again, and the market resembles something of its former self. Homes and shops are repaired: roof tiles reapplied, doorframes refitted, holes sealed up. Spirits rise; a newfound passion urges the people on as they rebel against the oppressive rainfall. 

Hi-bing, the Fire capital, retains some of its former glory. Blood is washed away from its streets. In a world where emotion is impossible, life manages to go on.


	14. Waves

Set Five: Passion

Part Two: Waves

* * *

Katara always cries, it seems. She cannot see anything without reminding her of someone she's lost. Her soul is worn, but her tears are renewed every dawn. Her heart has sunk beneath the waves, her passionate spunk lost. Everything reminds her of the dead, for pratically everyone _is_ dead. Aang, Toph, Haru, many of the Northern Tribe, several thousand Earthbenders, countless Firebenders, her _father_... And Momo and Appa are nowhere to be found, running wild somewhere unknown. 

She shuts herself in her guestroom to avoid seeing anything that might trigger a breakdown. The walls of her quarters, however, can never block out the terrible sounds of her weeping.


	15. Company

Set Five: Passion

Part Three: Company

* * *

He hears the wailing in the middle of the night and goes to investigate. Traveling through the long, high hallways, he at last arrives at the quarters of his Southern Tribe friend, Katara.

"Katara?" he asks quietly, opening the door to her quarters. She is silenced for a moment, stunned by his presence.

"What? Zuko?" she questions, blinking back tears. "I—I was just—I'm sorry…" She trails off.

"That's—that's alright. I just wanted to make sure you're okay," he explains, suddenly feeling awkward. He rubs a sleep-coated eye, trying to make sense of this strange scene. "I had trouble sleeping, anyway."

She blushes. "Sorry for the—the noise. It just gets so weird at night. I haven't slept in a good bed in a room to myself for a long time. I don't like it. It gets lonely," she admits, sniffling a bit.

He gives her a half-hearted look of sympathy, but deep inside himself, he knows the exact feeling. Loneliness is all too familiar to him.

"Would you—would you stay with me? It's so lonely, it's so empty…"

He nods sleepily. "Toss me a pillow and a blanket. I've got to set up a spot to sleep," he orders without a second thought. Zuko is so tired, and the company would be nice…

"You could sleep in the chair over there. It's pretty comfortable."

"Thanks."

The company certainly isn't much, but it does wonders for Zuko: that night's sleep is the best he's had in weeks.


	16. Search

A/N: So, I know the summary says Meiko (aka Maiko...Fanon dies hard, man), but that's not for a bit. Heh. I'm wondering if I should stick some other ships in here as well... Anyone catch the very small, quick (albeit sorrowful) Taang/Tong/Tophang hint back in set one? xP

Any particular ships you'd wish for me to add? 'Cause I really want this thing to be more general-focused than romancey-shmancey. Heh.

Sorry for the long author notes...Here's set six! With appearances by Bato, Pakku, Bumi, and some others...

* * *

Set Six: Duty

Part One: Search

* * *

The people grow uneasy as the rain pours on for a week straight. Some think it will never end; most pray for its cease, and all wonder about the next Avatar, if there is any next Avatar. People tell each other that the search for the Avatar shall begin soon.

Meanwhile, in a nameless, isolated Earth Kingdom village, twins are born. Only one of the two infants cries, and the other is silent.

There is a falter in the blanket of the sky—for a space of two minutes, a small stream of sunlight penetrates through the dark layer of clouds. Then it disappears and the rains start their never-ending pitter-patter once more.


	17. Parting

Set Six: Duty

Part Two: Parting

* * *

Katara hugs each of her Tribe's men as they board the ship. It is still raining, but it is only a light drizzle. Katara thinks the weather fitting for the parting. 

The Waterbender turns to her brother. Sokka clasps the shoulder of Bato, the last man that will board the ship.

"Your father was a good man, Sokka," says Bato empathetically. "Hakoda will always be remembered as one of our greatest chiefs."

Sokka's expression is hard, his jaw set. "Bato, I'm not going back for a while. There are treaties to be worked out and Fire Lords to be looked after." Katara grins lightly, and it is a welcome change to her normally melancholy features. "I need someone to act as chief in my absence. Watch out for Gran-Gran and Old Man Jarko especially, will you?"

Bato smiles. "Of course, Chief."

Katara hugs Bato goodbye and watches him board the ship. She stares out into the harbor long after the ship has disappeared into the distance.


	18. Treaty

Set Six: Duty

Part Three: Treaty

* * *

"We gather here today at the Fire Nation Capital of Hi-bing to honor a peace that once was, and shall be again…" 

The ceremony of the treaty signing is long and elaborate. There are leaders from each of the remaining Nations: Zuko, acting as Fire Lord; Sokka, as the Southern Water Tribe Chief; Pakku, Ambassador from the Northern Water Tribe; Bumi, King of Omashu; Kuei, King of Ba Sing Se. All that is missing are the leaders of the Air Nation and the Avatar himself. Zuko shifts guiltily, remembering that it was _his_ family who ordered the genocide of the Air Nomads.

"…And the three remaining Nations, their leaders representing, will express their consent of the terms detailed before, officially ending the Century War of the Nations…"

Zuko jerks his head up; he must listen, not zone out, during a ceremony as important as this. He pretends to have been listening the whole time, looking diligent and absorbed.

"…Expression of the consent of said terms will be in the form of the Nation's leader's signature. Or, should it be the case, two leaders will be permitted, as with the Water and Earth Nations. Please, all sign and recognize that the Century War of the Nations has ended."

Zuko signs his name on the treaty, as do the rest of the leaders. The gathered crowd cheers; Zuko feels elated as he realizes that the war is really _over_.


	19. Hollow

A/N: This set is a bit different that the others, you'll notice. The first part is in first person, in the point of view of the narrator of Broken Spirit. Keep in mind, she's about twelve or thirteen years younger in this fic than she was inBroken Spirit. I have yet to give her a name...But I have a great affinity for Maija; it's a Scandinavian name that means "bitter." Erm. Don't ask?

* * *

Set Seven: Bittersweet

Part One: Hollow

* * *

I'm not really here. I mean, I'm here, I'm _alive_, but I'm…not here. There's just too much death and suffering to feel anything but empty.

My parents are gone, both of them killed. My mother is (was, was, was! She is dead now) an Earthbender and my father a warrior; both fought in the Last Battle, both are dead by the hands of Firebenders.

I have a feeling that after all this I will hold in my heart an unnatural hatred of Firebenders. But now, I don't feel anything—I _can't_ feel anything. The world is hollow without its Spirit, as am I without mine. I know why Nature grieves, why it weeps so endlessly (_the rain haunts me, for it reminds me of sorrow_). I suffer the same problem; our Spirits are lost.

I swear I will do everything I can to help Nature get its Spirit. Even if it takes my life, I will find the Avatar, for without him, the world cannot go on.


	20. Celebration

A/N: It is important to note that the traditional Chinese mourning color is white.

* * *

Set Seven: Bittersweet

Part Two: Celebration

* * *

The skies are clear! The sun blazes in the afternoon and the dark clouds pass. They give way to a clear, starry night, a night of great joy and celebration in the Fire Nation Capital. 

The celebration for the end of the Great War (as it is called by the Earth Kingdom—in the Fire Nation, it is known as the Sozen's War or the Comet War; and in the Water Tribes, the Century War of the Nations) goes on for many hours into the night. Acrobats and contortionists perform in front of crowds of delighted children (of whom the youngest are already asleep). Music floats on the breeze; all sorts of music, from the melancholy sound of the flutes and panpipes of the Water Tribe to the blaring brass of the Earth Nation to the eerie, ritualistic percussion of the Fire Nation.

Sweet smells of delicacies and candies pass by; footsteps and stomps come from an area where people are dancing. Men gather in a circle around two Benders from different Nations; bets are placed and shouts pierce the air.

Katara witnesses all of this, but she is perfectly happy to stay out of the festivities. She sits on a balcony of the upper floor of a tavern inn. She recalls that Sokka had dragged her along, excited for the merrymaking. Katara, however, had been just the opposite; she rented a room and stayed there by herself, still stays there. She cannot be happy, for she is still grieving.

She stares out at the joyous city, and wishes that it would be adorned in nothing but white.


	21. Bonfire

A/N: Behold the Meiko!

:shot:

* * *

Set Seven: Bittersweet

Part Three: Bonfire

* * *

Zuko didn't necessarily want to join the celebration, but was convinced to go by an overenthusiastic Uncle Iroh. Zuko and he traverse Hi-bing through the space of a few hours; they stumble across a bonfire, and finally decide to stay put in one place for a bit. 

Iroh and the young Fire Lord listen to a group of Earth and Fire Nation citizens playing on drums and small mallet instruments, singing about nomadic women who break one's heart and the girls of the Outer Fire Nation Isles. Zuko rolls his eyes as Iroh joins the makeshift band, striking up an old favorite of "It's a Long Way to Ba Sing Sei."

As Zuko stands and half-listens to his uncle's song, a hand brushes Zuko's shoulders. A familiar voice whispers in his ear: "Hello, Fire Lord."

He turns around, sees the sharp gold eyes, the long black hair.

"Mai," he observes quietly, and is lost in the hypnotic golden eyes, all common sense forgotten.

He welcomes Mai into the Fire Palace the next morning. He sees Sokka, but Katara averts his gaze at breakfast and refuses to speak with him, bursting into tears as Sokka shies her away.

The rains come once again, and Zuko remembers just how powerful water can be when enraged.


	22. Storm

A/N: So. New set. The storms have come once again. Mwap mwap mwa...

* * *

Set Eight: Return

Part One: Storm

* * *

The rains have come again; the people of the city are glum once more, and the cheeriness of the past night has evaporated. Life continues to drawl on, and rebuilding continues despite the consistent rain. It is how it has always been these past two weeks: wet, dull, gray, hollow, automatic. Ordered. Plain. Without emotion.

The people of the other Nations board the ships and leave for home. It is good to be homeward bound, but it is still so empty.

As the remaining Fire people clear the city, new corpses are found, countless memorial services held within the city. Within the finding of the corpses comes not only the return of the rains but also of the tears.


	23. South

A/N: Beware the angst in this one! xD

* * *

Set Eight: Return

Part Two: South

* * *

Katara can take it no more; she debates with her brother, and he finally agrees to go back home. He admits that his duties are finished in Hi-bing, but he still wants to give Zuko some backing so that the reluctant Hi-bing people will support him more fully. Katara orders no, and that is the end of it. They are both going home. Diplomatic action with the Earth Kingdom can be done later; right now, it is about attending to the Southern Tribe's needs first.

The ship leaves that afternoon; Katara packs quickly and waits out on the docks for the vessel to come. Once it does, it takes a while to get on board—many people have come to say goodbye to the leader of the Southern Tribe. Zuko has come; Sokka clasps Zuko on the shoulder, wishing him luck.

Katara doesn't say goodbye, and she doesn't look back. Her eyes are nothing but cold.


	24. Sister

A/N: Some of you may've wondering where Azula was...Well, this should answer your question. Also, you can assume that Tai Li ran off back to the circus.

* * *

Set Eight: Return

Part Three: Sister

* * *

To take his mind off the coldness Katara regards him with as she departed, he talks a lot with Mai. He soon learns that his sister is still in the city; she had been hiding out in fear that she would be killed. No matter how much of a prodigious bender she is, she is no match for an entire army. 

Zuko is pleased to hear this (Azula suffering is a rare occurrence indeed), and he orders a massive search for the Fire Princess.

She is found sometime during the night and brought to the Palace to humble the presence of the Fire Lord. When Zuko sees her, she looks bad; her skin is dirty and her clothes soiled. Even her hair is unkempt—and this shocks Zuko, for he knows that Azula was always one for having perfect hair.

He is unsure of what to do with her; he orders her to be placed in prison but briefly tells her that he will consider letting her get free roam of the Palace if she pledges loyalty to him. At response to this, she just stares at him. Her eyes are wild; her mind isn't there. Being out in the streets by herself has changed her, for better or worse.

Zuko doesn't really care. He sends her off to the dungeons and feels safer about his position as Fire Lord.


	25. Gray

A/N: Another chapter in the point of view of the narrator of Broken Spirit. She does play somewhat of a significant role in this fic, but not so much as a character. She plays a part more as to reveal to the reader how the world feels about what's happening. I think? She does have a personality, though. Just no name as of yet. xD

Also, I forget where I heard the phrase "gray-eyed destiny." But it isn't my phrase; it's an allusion to some poem or something that I read... (is greatly puzzled)

* * *

Set Nine: Revival

Part One: Gray

* * *

Sometimes I wish the war had never happened. The world would be so different now. There would be peace, four happy Nations, an Avatar leading the world through a Golden Age. But if there was no war, no conflict, then there would be no Avatar, I suppose.

How ironic. The greatest peacemaker in the world was born in the midst of war. It's like everything is strung together in cycles, and that time is not linear but circular. How is an insignificant person such as I to know such things?

This feeling of insignificance does nothing but make me wonder more. It's like the same circular cycle: that something good and new is born from the ashes of its polar opposite. Perhaps that is how the Spirits intended it: that there be a bit of good in everything evil, and likewise, a bit of evil in everything good.

But then again, who is anyone to say what "good" and "evil" are? It's really all in the eye of the beholder, isn't it? So this world is not black and white—it is gray, gray, gray, nothing but gray—

And isn't gray a balance between black and white, just like the Avatar is the balance between the four elements?

So maybe the Spirits instead intended for the world to live moderately, to always take the middle road. How strange.

The world is gray with indecision, as is ever gray-eyed destiny: nothing's for certain, and I don't know where to start looking for truth.


	26. White

A/N: So, I saidI wanted thisto be a genfic. Well, guess what. More shipping. And it isn't Zutara or Meiko.

* * *

Set Nine: Revival

Part Two: White

* * *

A month and a half have passed since Sokka and Katara's departure from Hi-bing. The Southern Tribe has been rebuilt: where once laid a drowsy village now stands a growing city. High, protective walls surround the settlement; people no longer live in tents but in buildings of ice and snow. Gran-Gran confesses to Katara that it looks like it used to, when she'd first come to the South sixty years ago. 

Sokka, having grown much, leads the Southern Tribe well. He helps establish a system of communication between the Northern and Southern Tribes by way of messenger hawks gifted from the Fire Nation. Roosts for replenishing the hawks are set up all throughout the Earth and Fire Nations; the mode of communication connects the three Nations better than ever imagined.

One such roost is to be set up on Kyoshi Island. Sokka decides to make the trip to Kyoshi himself for personal as much as business reasons. Gran-Gran insists that Katara needs a vacation; and so, Sokka drags Katara with him and a few men on a small Water Tribe boat.

The arrival at Kyoshi is magnificent; the whole population of island people gathers at the docks to welcome the new arrivals. Last to walk down the gangplank and off the small boat is Sokka—a glint of brown flashes, the pale mask of a Kyoshi warrior greets him. One moment the expression is proud and the jaw is firm, eyes piercing into him. Then the white face paint accompanied by some more vibrant colors distorts Sokka's vision; and all he knows is the short, red-brown hair and green-clad arms wrapped around his torso.

"Suki," he says softly. She releases her grip around him and smiles up at him. Sokka glances over her shoulder and notices that most of the islanders are further up into the main village, talking with Katara and the other Water Tribe men. That is just as well, for he would not want such an informal greeting to be witnessed when everything is supposed to be so formal—after all, he is Chief of the Southern Tribe and she is the Head Kyoshi Warrior, a near perfect carbon copy of the old Avatar Kyoshi.

"I got you good," she teases, a faint expression of joy in the cold eyes—they are so cold; they have seen the war, the suffering, the death…

"Yeah," he laughs, and her eyes seem, just for a moment, to glow a little warmer.


	27. Gold

A/N: Behold! My attempt at writing Mei. xD

* * *

Set Nine: Revival

Part Three: Gold

* * *

Zuko, slightly on edge about the somewhat lack of support and trust from his people, decides to deliver an address to all the people of Hi-bing, wishing them condolences and apologies for the past century of toil. He is afraid that someone will rise up against him, clamoring for new blood; or perhaps, a new system of government—there already has been much corruption in the royal family. 

"You know," drones Mai a couple of hours before the address, "not that I care about the people or anything, but it might make a good impression on them if you didn't keep Azula locked up. They might consider less corruption in the royal family. But then again, what do I know about politics? They're so _boring_…I'd want anarchy too if I was a peasant, simply to keep things interesting, you know?"

Usually Zuko just ignores Mai's endless, monotonous rants about how dull everything is, but he understands the sheer logic behind this particular observation. "Yeah, maybe," he confirms.

Two hours later, Azula has been cleaned up and dressed in formal Fire Nation attire, and is standing beside Zuko as he prepares to give his address to the people. She looks better than she did, Zuko thinks. But all the same, her golden eyes are still wild and distant.

"People of Hi-bing!" calls Zuko. The assembled crowd quiets. "Our Nation has finally entered a golden age, a time of peace! The other Nations no longer hold grudges against us, no longer wish to kill us in our sleep, throttle our Ambassador's necks, burn our greatest cities." Zuko mentally smacks himself in the head. He is never letting Uncle Iroh write a speech for him ever again.

"Um—the point is, the Fire Nation will regain its former glory, but only by your willing hands. Blessed be you people who have toiled to resurrect this burned city—blessed be you people who have paid for a century of warfare. Your great contributions will be noted; Agni has blessed you because of it. I wish to express my greatest apologies for the hardships and my most sincere condolences for the deaths of your loved ones—but mostly, I want to express my sorrow for the great loss of worldly valuable supplies—homes, wealth, fried duck, and…_tea_?"

Oh. Uncle is _so _dead now.

Zuko grits his teeth and looks to Azula for help—her wild eyes are centered as she sees him pleading; something clicks into place, and her voice carries out loudly.

"Agni blesses all of you!" she announces. The crowd erupts into cheers and Zuko lets out a sigh of relief.

Azula's golden eyes blaze. "You owe me _badly_, Zuzu."


	28. Wanderer

A/N: So, this next set doesn't really have to do much with the set's name... But that's okay, I guess...

This drabble it actually rather long. It features the narrator of Broken Spirit. I think I'm going to call her Maija. I dunno why, the name just fits. (It means "bitter." Heh heh... Don't ask?)

* * *

Set Ten: Time

Part One: Wanderer

* * *

Months have passed since the end of the Great War; the world has been rebuilt, but some think it will never recover from the warfare and grief. World leaders try hard to inspire peace between the three Nations, but people rarely travel outside of their communities. World-wandering types are much more rare than during the days of the war—and when a traveler enters a community, he or she is welcomed with both hospitality and hostility. The people cannot easily forget century-old prejudices in so short a time. 

One such example of one of the scarce world-wanderers is a short, cloaked woman who stumbles into a tavern inn and out of the gale-force wind and rain. Her dark hood shades her face; but her dark eyes stare fiercely, defiantly, bitterly. The cloaked woman draws the attention of the innkeeper; he greets her dismally.

"Welcome," he states.

The woman shakes herself off, but keeps her cloak on as she takes a seat at the bar. It is only expected that travelers bring news of what is happening around the world, no matter what time or place. She holds her hand up for a second in a sort of greeting, and then motions for a drink.

"What would you like?"

She shrugs her shoulders; the dark eyes seem pensive for a moment. And then, in a toneless, deep voice that is obviously not her own, she says, "Water."

The innkeeper is quick to respond to her request. The few others in the bar turn their eyes to investigate the wanderer. They congregate around her, sitting in stools against the bar on either side of her. They are eager to hear news of the world as well.

"Here you are," says the innkeeper, setting down a glass of cold water. After the woman takes a long sip of the water, the innkeeper asks, "So, traveler, what is your name?"

The woman stays silent, her eyes staring him down. "It's not important."

The innkeeper is taken aback somewhat by her defensiveness. "Ah, well then, traveler, could you at least tell us anything about you?"

"I'm wet and cold."

The innkeeper chuckles to himself. "Witty one, aren't you?" The woman doesn't respond. "Well, do you want to take off you cloak?"

This seems to gain an even more negative response—the woman uses her hands to show her utter refusal.

"Sorry—"

The person sitting at the woman's left interrupts the innkeeper. "What news do you bring, traveler?"

"It rains," says the woman.

The innkeeper raises an eyebrow. "An accurate forecast of the weather, I'm sure. But what about the other Nations? How is the search for the Avatar coming along?"

The woman tenses up at the mention of the search for the Avatar. She takes a moment to respond. "It always rains."

"In the other Nations as well? Is some big city flooded?"

She bows her head, staring directly at the floor. "It always rains, and the sky is so gray. The world is gray."

"Gray? Are you—are you blind, traveler?"

Her head jerks up, and her entire demeanor changes. Her voice rises from a whisper to a shout. "This!" she howls, pointing at her glass of water. "This is what is news! Water, rain, endless rain!" She smacks the glass of water with the sweep of an arm. The glass of water spills, and the glass falls to the floor, smashing into little fragments. "And that is what is to be found—nothing. The water is empty; it contains no life. It has no Spirit. It is empty, empty, empty—" She points to the water glass, "And that is exactly what the world is—broken into little pieces that can never be fixed!"

She stands up quickly, slams a copper piece on the counter, and stomps out of the tavern inn. The innkeeper and the others watch as the door opens up to a world of water, and then how the door slams loudly, shutting the world away.

The innkeeper's candle goes out as the door closes, and the room darkens considerably.


	29. Troupe

A/N: Huzzah, more Sokka/Suki... and a Sokka/Yue hint as well, if you look really closely. Oh, the pairings I'm going to put in this series... (Hint: Note where the performing troupe is from...)

* * *

Set Ten: Time

Part Two: Troupe

* * *

Sokka, whenever he can, travels out to Kyoshi Island. On the times that Katara comes with him, she notices that both Suki and he always disappear for hours on end. When they are seen again, Katara doesn't say a word to them—but she has her suspicions. She wonders if Sokka even remembers that the moon always shines overhead during his disappearances. (The rains these days have subsided for a bit, but the world is always so cold and cloudy...and it rains with more force than it did before the end of the war.) But all the same, Katara doesn't really care. 

On one of the trips to Kyoshi, a small fleet of ships crewed by merry, colorfully dressed people docks in the harbor. Katara visits the fleet to learn more of their circumstances. They welcome her heartily onto their ship, and offer her dinner. She learns that they are a performing troupe from the Fire Nation. They wander around the world, trying to foster peace between the Nations, by order of the Fire Lord.

Suddenly the candied leechi nuts in Katara's mouth taste incredibly sour. She swallows them painfully, a frown crossing her face. "The Fire Lord?" she asks weakly. She hasn't seen him in nearly half a year, but the feeling of betrayal lingers fresh in her mind.

"Why yes, as a matter of fact," states the troupe leader proudly. "We have a very important mission. World peace is of the essence. We weren't going to perform until tomorrow night, once we've rested up a bit."

Katara forces a smile. "Thank you for your hospitality," she says hoarsely, and makes her way hastily off the ship.

As she walks away from the harbor, the waves grow larger and fiercer, even though the harbor is protected from the deathly ocean. The waves slam on the shore over and over with a passionate hatred that has never been known to Kyoshi Island.


	30. Betrayal

A/N: Alas, here ends the Maiko, for deep down in my heart, I will always be a faithful Zutara...

* * *

Set Ten: Time

Part Three: Betrayal

* * *

Zuko has struggled to maintain his reputation these past months. Azula, sly and conniving as ever, spreads untruths about him, causes the nobles to mistrust him, and manipulates the minds of the people. There is little respect for Zuko left; Iroh is the only thing that keeps Zuko on the throne, and Iroh is getting old. Zuko is concerned about the future, but he tries his best. 

He tries to talk with Mai, but it seems that everything he says to her ends up in the ears of Azula. Zuko grows suspicious of Mai. About a few days after Uncle Iroh is stricken with illness, Mai pulls a knife on him, holding it up to his neck. He barely escapes alive—he manages to knock her unconscious. He finds a loyal palace servant and orders the servant to assist him with Uncle.

As fast as they can, Zuko and the servant drag Iroh and some medicine out to the fishermen's harbor, a docking area for poor fishermen of Hi-bing. Zuko gives a nearby fisherman a gold piece and takes the man's boat out of the harbor, out to the great ocean where he hopes he will be safe, where Azula will not find him or Iroh or the servant, a young boy by the name of Gan.

But as the waves thrash wildly around him, he remembers the terrible wrath of water, and he thinks that perhaps he might've been safer facing Azula.


	31. Usurper

A/N: Hello! I am not dead! I've just been doing other things in the fandom; fanvids and such. 'Cause they're so fun. Really. xP

That, and...Writer's block. Yeah, that's my excuse.

To make amends for my lack of updates, two sets are being submitted back-to-back. Squee!

* * *

Set Eleven: Rumors

Part One: Usurper

* * *

The Fire Nation grows disconcerted once again—its leader has been missing for weeks now, and there has been no sight of him. People are on edge, people are scared, people are anxious. A new Fire Lord will have to take Lord Zuko's place, if only temporarily.

And so people talk. Who will take over? Was Lord Zuko murdered? What is the involvement of Princess Azula in the whole ordeal? What is going on?

It gets out from the Fire Palace that a personal friend of Princess Azula was found unconscious in Lord Zuko's quarters with a knife at her side. People cannot make heads or tales of it—but speculation that Lord Zuko was attempting to kill Princess Azula's personal friend is strangely encouraged, spread like wildfire by nurses and servants of the Fire Palace.

One day, about a month after the disappearance of Lord Zuko, Princess Azula makes a public announcement to the people of Hi-bing: she is the new Fire Lady. Her coronation will be at sunset the next day.

Some are shocked, and others are not. But all the people start to worry about corruption in the royal family, and wonder if it is time for a new government, a new ruler.

The sadistic Lady Azula quickly suppresses all their notions of revolution with her threatening disposition. It is truly then that the people fear for the future.


	32. Contortionist

Set Eleven: Rumors

Part Two: Contortionist

* * *

Katara and Sokka attend the performance of the traveling troupe the next day along with many delighted islanders. Suki doesn't come with Sokka and Katara, though—she is training some of the newer warriors in the dojo. Sokka seems down at first, but Katara cheers him up just before the show starts. 

The first to perform are juggling Firebenders. They toss branches lit on fire to one another, hurling them high into the air and catching them expertly, twirling them around with ease. The Firebenders finish their act and the islanders show their approval with much cheering and clapping. One man throws up his arms and screams in jubilee; and it is not long before he is frothing at the mouth, falling to the ground. No one seems to notice that the man is unconscious, though, as the next act comes on: the tumblers.

A young girl dressed in a pink performing outfit stands in the center of a circle of five tumblers. They begin their routine as a small group of musicians strike up a lively tune. The girl in the center flips, her braided hair whipping out. She lands—the gray eyes, the hair, the _pink_—Katara remembers. Ty Lee!

Sokka watches the contortionist silently as she continues through the routine and finally finishes. The crowd bursts into applause around them; but Sokka just stares. Katara recalls briefly the interaction between her brother and Ty Lee before the final battle—the contortionist had come over to their side at the last minute, to perhaps restore peace to the world, is what she had said. So she could make the world's aura less dark. Or something like that.

Katara shrugs it off, and the thought escapes her. She and Sokka enjoy the rest of the show, applauding as exuberantly as the islanders.

It is only after the performance when Katara hears a sidelong comment from one Kyoshian to another that she worries: "Did you see the Southern Tribe chief? He was acting rather strangely during the second act."


	33. Servant

Set Eleven: Rumors

Part Three: Servant

* * *

Zuko rows the fishing boat, trying desperately to keep it from capsizing. The storm is extremely violent, as though it is intent on drowning him. A sense of rebellion seizes him—he will defeat this storm. He can live through it. He's lived through worse.

As he rows, Gan, the servant-boy, attends faithfully to Iroh. Zuko will never admit it, but the young boy has grown on him the past few days. Only ten years old, the boy has an extraordinary gift for healing and nurturing—when Zuko hears Iroh ask Gan how he knows all that he knows, Gan says he learned it from his mother.

Something strikes Zuko's heart—Gan is separated from his mother now. Gan is in danger because of involvement with Zuko and Iroh. Zuko grits his teeth—the guilt is taking over.

Zuko swears to himself that when this is all over, he will reward Gan heartily. He prays quietly to Agni, imploring the Spirit bless the child.

There is no need for another person to make great sacrifices for Zuko—Zuko's finished with that.

Zuko stares up at the storm clouds and urges them to hold back just for once, not for him, but for the child.


	34. Thought

Set Twelve: Passage

Part One: Thought

* * *

For so long have I searched, yet I yield no answers. I can only look for nothing, grasp at wisps of fantasy and chase after things that don't exist. The Avatar? What Avatar? There is no Avatar. And if there is no Avatar, there is no world. If there is no world, then there is nowhere to live, so I might as well not be living. I serve no purpose; the Spirits have no plan for me. They do not care for me. This world is going to die—quite soon. I don't know why I think that, but I just do. I know it. 

I have ways of knowing things that should not be known to me—I am searching for answers, and yet I have answers—but I have all the wrong ones. I don't want to be a philosopher, I don't want to be spiritual. I have no desire to commune with the Spirits. I only wish to find and fulfill a purpose, to mean something to the world. It took me so long to realize it, but now I have. This world cannot be saved. There is no one to salvage it. We depend too heavily upon one, and one day, it will all come crashing down around our heads.

My heart weeps for the world, but my eyes stay dry.


	35. Birthday

Set Twelve: Passage

Part Two: Birthday

* * *

It has been a long time since Katara last visited Kyoshi, she recollects. She really should've gone as much as she could've, for her days of freedom are limited. She will be sixteen tomorrow, and that is old enough to marry in the Water Tribes. It will only be a matter of time before the worst happens—and she won't be able to live the life she wants. 

The freedom will be gone. The adventures will be over. The bright spirit in her will be suppressed.

She knows very well that Gran-Gran will let her choose who she wants to marry—Hakoda, Katara's father, granted Katara that liberty. But still, she will have to marry, no matter who it will be. Katara stares up at the clouded night sky, reminiscing of days long past, when she'd first found Aang, when she'd traveled the world.

That is all over now.

Tomorrow is a big day for her—she should be happy for its arrival.

Katara was never that good at doing what she should be doing anyway.


	36. Judgment

Set Twelve: Passage

Part Three: Judgment

* * *

Zuko sits on the porch alone, staring silently into the firefly-lit night. It is quiet, but not overly so; the crickets chirp peacefully, and it isn't raining. It's one of those rare nights where there are few clouds in the sky and the moon shines a warm orange color that reminds Zuko of home and contentment. That's what it's like now—sort of. 

It's been about three months since Azula's betrayal; he, Iroh, and Gan had made it to the shores of the Earth Kingdom about two months ago. Zuko had traveled with Gan and the ailing Iroh around the Earth Kingdom, and had found Lee's family again—he didn't speak to them, but Gan had. They'd taken in Gan, and that had taken off some of the guilt that Zuko still possesses even now.

Now, Zuko and Iroh move slowly across the Earth Kingdom to avoid detection. For the past week or so, Zuko has stayed here, in this old place, with the ever-hospitable Song. He has thanked her many times, and she tells him she's happy just to see him again, but he knows it's time to move on.

He delves deeper into his thoughts. Iroh is still sick, getting weaker every day—Iroh and he need somewhere to stay for a while. Somewhere safe, and isolated from the Fire Nation.

The answer comes to him immediately, but he dismisses it just as quick, for they would never welcome him there, never, never, never.

And yet, maybe they would help Iroh, at least…There are healers down in the South Pole, after all.

He shakes his head, remembering the short, tender moments shared between the sister of the Southern Tribe Chief and he, and her cold rejection of his good-bye when he showed warmth to another. The traitor, Mai.

Zuko can't be lost in memory. He won't. He clenches his fist and decides that yes, it is time to move on.


	37. Reciprocation

A/N: Finally, this thing is updated. Hope you like the next part. And, BTW, there's a promo for this fic you can find at (take away the spaces) www. youtube. com/ viBhLWENegks

* * *

Set Thirteen: Tangible  
Part One: Reciprocation

* * *

The deliverance is coming: the moment when it will all be revealed, when there will finally be answers. The Spirits recognize the weeping of the world, and wish to appease their people's hurt and agonies, for the maladies of their people are the maladies of the Spirits, remaining unresolved until something is done. 

Prayers and pleas and shouts and curses have all gone unreciprocated, dissolving in the murky clouds of heaven that separate the Spirits from their people. Dreams and wishes remain senseless; hope is futile. And if the hope is gone, then there can be no life for the Spirits' people.

One soul that continues to seek despite all odds had penetrated through the oppressive gray clouds, her own spirit fired up deep within her, a light to blatantly defy the clouds overhead. It is her that the Spirits regarded; and it is her that has ultimately led to this absolute determination for change, though she knows it not—she thinks she is without a spirit, as is Nature without its own Spirit. But she is wrong, and she will see; she will have hope again. The world will have hope again.

It is time.


	38. Wind

Set Thirteen: Tangible  
Part Two: Wind

* * *

There is something in the wind that tells her: _Something is coming. Something will change this day._

Her hair flies freely in the wind, dancing around her emotionless face. Today is the day: today is the day she is a woman. Today is the day she can marry. Today is the day it all changes. Whatever happens, she must accept it.

It is barely past dawn, but she wants to be alone, just to think. Just to think that this isn't the last bit of freedom she'll ever have, but rather the end of her childhood: from now on, she is free. She will choose. She can make her own choices; and she chooses to accept the great change that will occur this day, whatever it will be.

She will finally find a man to love her. She remembers: just a year ago, when she was still a child, she thought she was in love. A shared night of consolation, a tender kiss, a promise to be soon forgotten—that is long in her past, and it is gone, gone, gone…

But still the wind blows: _Embrace the change, for it is really the same as the past._


	39. Ice

Set Thirteen: Tangible  
Part Three: Ice

* * *

The small rowboat gets stuck in the shallows, caught in the icy bottom; Zuko has to bound into the water and drag both the boat and its small cargo of his uncle and some meager vittles to shore—after a good half-minute of tugging with no effect whatsoever and a slight numbing in his legs, Zuko just heaves his uncle out of the boat and aids him to shore. The Dragon of the West is ailing greatly, barely able to wade, especially through the icy water, where they could die from the cold; it pains Zuko to see his uncle like this, so frail and—Zuko is afraid to admit it to himself—looking like he is slowly dying. The ill stricken ex-general hobbles out of the boat and splashes into the water with a huge splash—he stumbles, and is stopped from drowning only by the aiding hand of his young nephew. 

The two stagger to shore, sopping wet and completely winded; but Zuko finds strength anew when he sees his uncle coughing particularly loudly and remembers that there are healers near—someone can heal uncle, someone can heal uncle! Zuko is oblivious to the fact that his legs are completely numb and his hands are starting to turn blue—his mind pushes him on to where his heart leads, where his eyes see in the clouded distance: a small city of ice and snow, looming in the distance like it is so close and far away all at once.

The ex-Fire Lord does not give in to the bitter cold or the strenuousness of lugging another human being around while pushing his way through half a meter of snow—all he knows is that uncle can be healed, and he must do whatever he can to heal uncle before both of them die.


	40. Homeless

A/N: I realize that I've taken forever to update this. I hope people are still reading it. This story is almost coming to a close so I can work on A Destiny Not My Own.

Thanks to all my reviewers, readers, and faithful who continue to read this after two months of no updates.

* * *

Set Fourteen: Onset  
Part One: Homeless

* * *

The fire is very minor; it burns down the family's house partially, and doesn't touch the other huts in the village. It is a miracle that nothing else is incinerated within the flame, but then maybe again it is just one of those things that the Spirits chose to do.

Whatever the case, people of the minute village are curious as to what exactly happened: _What caused the fire? How lucky is it that the two twins and their parents escaped! But how awful it is that they are now homeless. We must help them, poor fellows. _

_Perhaps one of them hit a spark rock the wrong way? _

_No, it's not that. It's something different. _

_What? _

_It's not raining anymore. Haven't you noticed? _

_Not raining…? And that matters why? _

_Last year, the clouds parted for a few minutes when those twins were born. And now, it's not raining. And the house in which the twins resided was set fire in an area where there are only Earthbenders. _

_You can't possibly mean…? _

_Yes. It's the truth. It is just how the Spirits planned, for sure. _

_I see…_


	41. Ill

Set Fourteen: Onset  
Part Two: Ill

* * *

Katara stares into the distance as the wind whips bitterly around her, making her hair thrash wildly around her. The strength of the wind has picked up greatly; it is almost a sign, she muses, as she sees the shadow of a soul struggling to cling to life. The betrayal crosses her mind, but her nature as a Healer takes precedence over some petty heartbreak of a time long past. She rushes to help; his lips are purple and his skin clammy and blue, eyes wild with a mad frenzy.

He speaks, croaking out the words, "Save him first." She sees the motionless body of Iroh's, the terrible coldness, the pale skin and the absence of breathing. It's not looking good.

"Hurry," she advises Zuko, taking Iroh from his shoulders. She does what she can; she dries their soaked clothes, parts the snow so that the travel to the village would be quicker. Once in the village, she gets them out of their clothes and gives them blankets and parkas and some of Sokka's old clothing; Gran-Gran comes to help, along with some of the other women of the village, working and working and trying to help. Zuko will be fine, for he recovers somewhat with the warmth and their healing. But he directs all the unneeded medical aid from himself to Iroh.

"Save him first," is all he says; it seems that it is all he can say, all he can do but watch as the Healers tend to Iroh. He trampled through snow and cold and ice and he wants to see his efforts prevail, to not be in vain. He hates watching, but he doesn't express the emotion simply because he feels he just can't.

Katara feels sorry for him; she is shocked to see him, wonders what he is doing in the South Pole. But she pities him the most over his absolute desire to see Iroh return to health. The Healers of the South Pole are good Healers; Katara knows this.

But she also knows there is only so much a Healer can do.


	42. Dying

Set Fourteen: Onset  
Part Three: Dying

* * *

He stays awake all through the night, not caring that he is exhausted or that he is not being the best of guests to ever grace the Southern Tribe's presence. He doesn't care; all he wants is for Iroh to be all right, because he has to be, _he has to be_.

Zuko sees the Healers' quick, pitying glances in his direction, their questioning eyes asking one another, _Do you think he knows this man will not be all right?_ But they do not speak of it, for they do not want to break him anymore than he already is. They wonder about his distant golden eyes, his pale skin that is so uncharacteristic of anyone from near the South. _Fire Nation_, they whisper to one another. Zuko hears them but he doesn't care.

"Please, save him," he begs pathetically. There is nothing he can do to save his uncle and it is so frustrating and so saddening and so shocking all at once.

In the morning, he observes quietly as Katara talks with some of the Healers; the Healers stop tending to the old man.

"What are you doing?" Zuko shouts. "Save him!" he yells, anxiety taking over his mind.

A hand pats his shoulder softly; he looks down to his side, to Katara, her eyes so sad that he is unwilling to stare into them. She sniffles, and this only angers him more.

"Why are they leaving him? Why won't they save him?" he nearly shouted at her. And then, in a much quieter voice, "Will you save him?"

She shakes her head, tears spilling over. Hugging him tightly, she whispers into his ear, "I can't."

The words fall on deaf ears; for Zuko is already weeping bitterly, knowing he has failed yet _again_.


	43. Stories

A/N: It's been awhile since I updated, so, here ya go. It's a short set, but it's effective, I think.

Just a quick reminder: Maija is the woman who narrated Broken Spirit as well as some of the Part One's of some sets. The last drabble in her point of view, I believe, was Set Twelve, Part One.

Also, when "the villagers" are mentioned in the following drabble, it refers to the people from the village where a house burned down (the village from set fourteen, part one).

* * *

Set Fifteen: Words  
Part One: Stories

* * *

The words of the villagers spread, but their truths are taken for rumors, fanciful exaggerations, tales told by a person not right in his head. 

The words of the villagers are heard, but Maija has lost her drive in chasing after any hint of the Avatar. She has seen too many false proclamations, too many stories turned dead by their inaccuracies.

The words of the villagers are ignored, but a people of good belief decide to see what they may find in the village.

The words of the villagers are accepted, and the unwavering faith of one so lost is finally rewarded.


	44. Fact

Set Fifteen: Words  
Part Two: Fact

* * *

Sokka is somewhere in the southwestern Earth Kingdom when he receives the news. Diplomatic action on his behalf is required by the Kyoshi Islanders; a dispute over land has reared up and help from an outside force is necessary. But the problem seems petty when juxtaposed to the news he receives.

A ruby and black messenger hawk, speedy and fierce and precise, bears a small scroll with no signature. _Water Nation_, it reads, _have hope! The Avatar has been found._


	45. Scroll

Set Fifteen: Words  
Part Three: Scroll

* * *

She holds him, and there are no words exchanged. The sorrow is too great, the shock is too much. It feels like the end of the war all over again, except worse, because there is such a pain in his chest that he didn't have before and it's so wrong—

He doesn't wonder why when she leaves him temporarily, but when she returns, he turns his head: something is amiss.

Wordlessly, she hands him a scroll; he doesn't know how to react to its contents.


	46. Written

A/N: After a year, I felt like finishing this. So. Yay.

* * *

Set Sixteen: Ripple

Part One: Written

* * *

"Ava—Avatar?" he chokes out. Katara nods, uncertain—what do you _do_ in a situation like this? What can she do? Zuko's uncle has just died, and here comes news of the ultimate beacon of hope—here is what she has been waiting for, the return to adventure and childhood and happiness. The Avatar is _alive_!

She holds his blank face in her hands, gently stroking his hair, his scar, wanting him to feel life again.

"Zuko," she says slowly, letting the foreign, harsh name roll off her tongue, "Aang's back. _Aang's back_!"

And then she dissolves into tears, and she is nothing, because she is so in love with a person who is dead, a person who stares at her right now with blank eyes and a heavy heart, and she is so in love with a person who is now alive but is not _alive_—she wishes she'd died long ago, before any of this ever happened.

"It's not Aang," he whispers in her ear, and she wonders where he finds his heart in such a time as this.

"I wish I were dead," she admits through heavy tears, "I wish I could be with him always."

She feels him inhale, and his hands stiffen on her wrists, tightening almost to the point of discomfort.

"You're not dead," he tells her, "You're not dead." He repeats it over and over, and then, suddenly, rashly—"Stay with me."

Katara cries harder, caught in gray indecision, but promises him, "Always," if not to relieve some of his grief.


	47. Spoken

Set Sixteen: Ripple

Part Two: Spoken

* * *

Azula sits impatiently in her fiery throne, not amused with the generals who insist on regular meetings even the war is long over. She feels she has better things to do (power to keep in check and echoes of rebellion to snuff out). To be a winner of her own game, though, she must cater to the nobles. Alas, it is the sad fate of an usurper who is still not wholly trusted.

A woman in a black cloak barges through the entrance to the meeting room (not unlike an incident that happened seven years ago, but with a different Fire Lord and a different and unwelcome interloper). The woman disregards the accusatory, inflammatory stares of the generals and marches straight to Azula. Azula is pleased with the change of action, for it relieves her of some of her wearied boredom.

"Azula," the loyal minion whispers in her ear, "not that it's very interesting or anything, but the Avatar's been found."

Azula freezes, eyes wide, begins to _tremble_—but Mai must be imagining it, and the generals certainly cannot see it, because within a second Azula is all farce smiles and evil eyes, as if she was never afraid of the Avatar, as if she forgets that she was nearly killed by the last one.


	48. Felt

Set Sixteen: Ripple

Part Three: Felt

* * *

She holds the tiny child in her arms, cradling him like he is her own son, and she knows that she loves him just as much as his parents, if not more. The little girl, the boy's twin, reaches out, up—_please, love me too_—_I feel it too_—and adult hand meets little hand, little grasping hand that needs love and nurturing. She loves this little girl as much as the boy. The two are what she has searched for, for ages and ages and ages.

She kisses the little girl's forehead, inwardly weeping for the child because she will be left behind, overshadowed by her brother—the little girl will be a tragedy. And then, she brings the little boy closer to her body, reveling in the warmth of his body and his little heart as it beats, beats, beats—_hope, hope, hope, your future is coming in every little heartbeat_—and Maija whispers, "Avatar Jin, I love you more than the world."


	49. High

Set Seventeen: Tides

Part One: High

* * *

As the send away Iroh's body in the little blue, wooden canoe, Katara can't help but remember the first time she canoed away with Sokka. She is five, and she is going fishing with her brother. 

And then she is fourteen, and she is going fishing with her brother, but bringing home an Avatar.

And now she is sixteen, old enough to marry, and she is bidding farewell to the uncle of the man she thinks she loves.

"Marry me," she murmurs in his ear, and he doesn't turn to look at her, but he squeezes her hand gently.

And she sees it: she is one-hundred, with great-grandchildren, married to a powerful bender, and it is her turn for the high tide to come and take her away to the afterlife.


	50. Low

Set Seventeen: Tides

Part Two: Low

* * *

It is low tide, and Azula stands silently on the sandbar outside the royal harbor. She notices a small white seashell, encrusted with sand, which lies below her feet.

She growls and smashes the shell into pieces with her armored boot, and turns around and walks away.

The Avatar will die, Azula vows; and elsewhere, the caretaker of the two most beloved twins in the world cannot fathom why her charges simultaneously burst into hysterics.


	51. Turning

Set Seventeen: Tides

Part Three: Turning

* * *

The people of the Fire Nation grow weary, oppressed still before and after the war that ended so long ago. They crave a righteous monarch, though they have never known one. The wish the war had ended differently, they wish that the Avatar had not died. 

They do not know, and will not know for years to come, that outside their country, that the Avatar brings hope to their true Fire Lord, who is finally finding the strength to take back what was stolen from him.


	52. 17 Years Later

Set Eighteen: Epilogue

Part One: Seventeen Years Later

* * *

I was there when the war ended. I was there when the Spirit was lost. I was there when the world mourned. 

I was there after they found the new Avatar. I was the first to realize that there were two, not one.

I was the first to know that Jin and Yin were each half the Avatar Spirit. I was the first to truly love Yin as much as Jin. I was there as their caretaker, and I was there to hold Yin's tiny grasping hand and kiss her forehead and cuddle Jin to my chest.

I was there to witness their training, their transformation into powerful benders. I was there to bring them out of their spurts of insanity (they could not help it—with only half a spirit, they were both half insane, and I was the first to know).

I was there in their turbulent early teenage years when they worked alongside the rightful Fire Lord and brought the treacherous Azula to her knees. I was there when they took her down together, two halves of the same Spirit working as one. I was there when Azula crippled Jin for life, sentencing him to an early death.

I was there when the Fire Lord married his Waterbender wife. I was there when the Waterbender approached Jin the only time she ever did, to apologize to Jin's past life, his Spirit Advisor—Aang. I was there when she explained that she could not see him again, because she loved him too much, but he was not alive, and it was not her place to go against the other one that she loved even more than he.

I was there when the Jin and Yin's father died, and their mother died, and their bending Sifus died.

I am here while Jin is dying, still young and still half insane.

I am still here with Yin, and she is nineteen and a half and losing herself because half her soul is nearly departed.

I am still here, and I pray I will still be here, but I am useless, I am a failure, because I cannot stop the death of the Spirit of the planet, the Avatar, the child that I love as my own son.

I cannot stop fate.


	53. 18 Years Later

A/N: Set one year after the previous chapter, 18 years after the previous set of drabbles. This piece was actually written over a year ago when set ten was still being written, or sometime around there. It's been sitting on my computer, waiting to be pubished when this fic was finally done. And now, it is. But it is not the end. Oh, no. You see, as every other set, this final set has a third part, which shall be published shortly, if I can just think of an appropriate ending.

* * *

Set Eighteen: Epilogue

Part Two: Eighteen Years Later

* * *

The world is dying. Avatar Jin has died—and now, there are random fires and earthquakes and the continents move and everything is changing so much. Avatar Yin does what she can, but she is only a young woman of twenty and there is little she can do with only half the Avatar Spirit inside of her. She has weakened considerably; and the other Spirits within her are awakening, roused from the many years' sleep. 

The other half of the Avatar Spirit could be anywhere, in anyone. But I think that half of the Spirit is somehow lost, for the world is trying to right itself, even if it loses half of itself in the process. There always was only one Avatar and that is how it was meant to be.

Yet still, the losses are staggering. Earthquakes occur with such force that they create bottomless abysses miles long, dividing towns and cities and Nations. It is frightening, and there is nothing Avatar Yin can do to stop them, for water takes a long time to wear away earth and air has little effect on it. Master Earthbenders have tried and failed to mend the open wounds of the planet, and it just gets worse and worse.

And it is only now that I have realized it—the world is dying.

Of course, maybe it is really not so much dying as its people are dying. We cannot handle the climate changes, and we soon will die, to be replaced by another people who will one day die the same as we have.

I think that is what it is like. Time goes in cycles of life, death, and rebirth. It occurs with the Avatar through reincarnation; it occurs on a much grander scale as well, with the earth. It is fitting that, as the planet changes, so does its Spirit.

Or maybe the Spirit will live on and the rest of us will die. Perhaps, as the new people populate our planet, the Avatar will be the last reminiscence of the old people, the original people, the Bender-humans or whatever the scientists call our race.

I do not understand how I speculate so much about the Avatar and simply come to a conclusion so easily; perhaps it is that I have served the Avatar for over fifteen years, and have learned much about her (Avatar Yin—I knew Avatar Jin, but I am closer to Yin, particularly because I could speak with her). I wonder if I have always been so curious and then certain about matter at hand. Perhaps that is the gift of the Spirits to me—my inquisition and ability to come up with the answers through logic that has absolutely nothing to do with common sense, but rather a sense on a higher level, higher than that of science. Our world is not a world of science. The Spirits shall do what they will, for they control the entire world; it is their world just as much ours.

But if I speak of myself as understanding with the high logic of a Spirit, I sound fairly conceited and rather egotistical. I certainly don't want that impression given to people—that is, people that matter. People that I know, people that I care about. I couldn't care much about the rest of the people of this world, for they are all corrupted, bigoted idiots—it is nature itself and the Avatar who make all the difference.

Perhaps that since I am so close to the one that makes the difference for the world, I shall survive while the rest of my race dies, when this world dies and a new world is born. That is really the ultimate goal of anyone—survival. That is primitive instinct. But my way of survival is by no means _primitive instinct_. How foolish and stupid one would have to be to think that.

What I'm trying to say is that everyone wants to survive—people are scared; I'm not the only one who is worried for the world. Everyone realizes they can't rely on Avatar Yin this time around, and that scares them. That's just as well, for they should learn to take some initiative and do something for themselves. Avatar Yin won't save people who won't save themselves, if that makes any sense.

The times are changing quickly, the earth is always changing, ever changing…


	54. 25 Years Later

A/N: Finally, this is finished. Don't know how many people are still reading it, but here is the end. This 25 years after the main storyline, and seven years after the previous chapter. Enjoy. Now I will revel in my second-ever completed multi-chaptered fic.

* * *

Set Eighteen: Epilogue

Part Three: Twenty-Five Years Later

* * *

On this winter day in Year Twelve of Fire Lord Zuko's reign, a quarter century after the end of the Hundred Years War, I, Avatar Yin, Master Waterbender and Airbender, chronicle the loss of the great spiritualist, theorist, and caretaker woman Maija, daughter of Qing and Sona, of the Earth Kingdom. She died of a severe case of pentapox contracted while visiting in the Earth Kingdom city of Omashu (also known as New Ozai) and passed away at two hours after the sun's rise on one day past at the age of fifty-five. The Fire Lord, his highness Lord Zuko (who insists that I call him anything but a long stream of titles), deemed that I was the most appropriate person to put down Maija's death in the records. Unbeknownst to me, he meant for me to write not only an obituary, not merely report on the facts of her passing, but also a memoir of my life and in the remembrance of her life. I am not the most skilled scribe by a long shot; my characters are those ones I learned in the South where I oft stayed to train with my Sifu, Kotahi, son of Chief Sokka. Sifu Kotahi is my junior by only a few months (his mother Ty Lee kept his birth a secret until long after Chief Sokka married the Kyoshian Suki) but he is a prodigy who seems to learn faster than even I, the Avatar. Sifu Kotahi is brilliant, and he is a steadfast friend. I hope to travel to the South sometime soon to see him once again. 

I am not quite sure where I should begin in my discussion of Maija's life. I do not know much of her childhood. I never met her parents, and I never found out their names until recently. Maija's mother Sona was an Earthbender and her father Qing, a warrior. Both died in the last years of the Hundred Years War. My brother Avatar Jin once wrote that he suspected their deaths fueled Maija's need to find us. My brother could not speak, as he was mute, and most of the time he was very angry; but he wrote things on occasion, when he felt the need, in a small journal of his that Maija had originally gifted him. He also wrote about how she always witnessed his training as a child and how she aided our parents, when they were still alive. I do not remember most of these things that he remembered. I have little memory from when I myself was a child.

My memory is very thin during the first seven years of my life, but I can recall my parents' faces. It is Maija who I most remember most though, as mother, parent, guardian, caretaker, teacher, and confidant. Maija lived long after the death of my parents; she fought hard for Jin and I. She cried alongside me when we mourned Jin's young and tragic death. She aided me in any way possible when I had to take care of the world, for that is my duty—I am the Avatar, possibly the last, and I must keep this world from tearing apart at its seems.

Fire Lord Zuko seems to think that there will be another Avatar reborn, perhaps to those living in the Northern Air Temple, or perhaps in the Fire Nation. It is a cycle, he tells me. It is a cycle that cannot end. Maija's life work was not for nothing. She lived to find you.

Maija lived to find me. She held me in the highest regard and loved me as no one else did. I was not declared the Avatar until later in my life, when I was eleven or so. After being pronounced half-Avatar, people didn't dare ignore me. Maija was the only one who loved me besides my parents before I became the Avatar, before I ascended to my lofty position.

Now look at me. I am not so crazy anymore. I am not so insane. I am not so unimportant.

I am nothing without Maija.

Fighting for this world is harsh, but I must.

Forgive me, Lord Zuko, for stepping outside the bounds of formality. I will rewrite this memoir later, I suppose. Or the scribes will censor it for me and clear out all the unnecessary commentary. But, Lord Zuko, I have taken your request of familiarity into account.

My heart will never be absent from anything I write about Maija.

Maija was such an astonishing paradox, a walking contradiction. She was a cynic, and she was a hopeless romantic. She was full of hope and drive, but she was so skeptical and distrusted herself and her beliefs.

Sometimes I think she was more contradictory than Jin himself, who was "bipolar," as the scientists call it.

Maija's inherent realism and her capacity to hope is what made her such a great person, I think. She was perhaps the perfect mentor for someone like Jin or me.

Maija helped relieve my insanity. Yin, you have half a spirit, she said, but a full heart.

I will never forget her words. She brought my calmness, my sanity. She brought me my life.

Your life is like silver, and Jin's like gold, Maija used to say. Indeed, Yin does mean silver and Jin does mean gold. I wonder if our parents _knew_, or if the naming was just instinctive.

The spirits work in strange ways, I suppose. I have met a few spirits myself, and some are beautiful, some are ugly, some are intelligent, and some are lacking in intelligence. But all spirits are equally strange. All spirits are mystical and ambiguous. Like Maija, now that I think of it.

I wonder if Maija was a spirit, or if she is a powerful spirit now.

Wherever and whatever she is, she lives on in the spirit world. Perhaps I will see her again on one of the Solstices.

Maija, if you can feel me, know that you are well loved and dearly missed.

Lord Zuko, thank you once again for allowing me to write this memoir. I am deeply honored to write in memory of Maija.

Peace to All,  
Avatar Yin  
Winter of Year Twelve of Fire Lord Zuko's Reign


End file.
